Carving-fork.



No. 659.397. Patahted 0st. '9, I900.

l. mnscu.

CABVING FORK.

(Application filed May 11, 1900.)

(No ModaL) P T NT rricn.

ISAAC mason, F oHIcAo iLLINoIs,

CARVINGV-FQRK.

SPECIFICATION forming-part of Letters Patent No. 659,397, dated October 9, 1900. Application filed May 11, 1900. Serial No. 16,257. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC HIRSOH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful lmprovement in Carving-Forks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in carving forks of the class. provided with spring-controlled bifurcated guards pivoted to opposite sides of the shanks of the forks; and my object is to provide improved springcontrolling mechanism for the guard of a particularly simple, durable, inexpensive, and efficient construction.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows a fork provided with my improvement; Fig. 2, an enlarged section taken on line 2 of Fig. 1;-Fig. 3, an enlarged brokenperspective view of the guard; and Fig. 4, a perspective and partly-broken sectional view of a plug-piece enlarged, which forms the guard-holding pivots and cooperates with the prongs of the guard to form the spring-controlling mechanism therefor.

The fork A may be ofthe usual construction, formed with ahandle a, shank b, and prongs c. Fitting closely an opening (1 through the shank b and held rigidly therein is a plugpiece B, preferably of suitably-hardened steel or the like. The plug-pieceis formed at one end with a pointed conical projection e and at its opposite end with an elongated or knifeblade projection f. The body of the plugpiece may be entirely within the opening (1 and the projections .e f extend beyond opposite sides of the shank of the fork. The guard C is of stifi springy metal, having the usual stem portion 00 and the usual prongs 'y y. The guard is provided at the inner side of one of its prongs y with an indentation g just large enough to suitably engage the pointed projection e, and at the inner side of its other prong it is provided with straight sockets h i, which cross each other at a desired angle. The walls h t" of the sockets are abrupt and form stops or shoulders,while the opposite walls and intervening spaces are cut away to form at one or each side of the cross a convex cam or cam-surface k, highest or stem portion x.

at the center. The guard is placed in position by expanding its prongs y with a suitable expanding-tool and passing them over the shank 1) until the socket or indentation g engages the pivot e and one of the sockets h or 2' engages the knife-blade projection f. The natural stiffness of the guard-prongs holds them in engagement with the pivots ef without danger of displacement. When the projection fengeges the socket h, the guard is in the closed or folded position shown in Fig. 1. To open the guard, it is pressed at its prongs y in the downward direction to swing it on the pivots efand raise the guard In this movement the cams it slide over the projectionf against the resistance against expansion of the springprongs y until the socket '1; nears the projection f, when the shoulder 7; will be sprung or snapped against the projectionf, which will then engage the socket vi. The guard is closed by swinging it in the opposite direction against the resistance of the spring-prongs until the shoulder or stop h snaps against the projection f. The cam-surfaces k and knife-blade projectionf are sufiiciently hard to resist wear, so that the construction, while being particularly efiective, is very durable, and as it dispenses with the springs and spring-catches usually provided it is simple and inexpensive to construct.

While I prefer to construct my improvements as shown and described, they may be variously modified as to details of construction without departing from the spirit of my invention 'as defined by the claims. Of course the bearing projections may be upon the guard-prongs and thebearing-sockets on the fork-shank, if such reversal of construction is preferred, and, furthermore, the cam construction may be at both sides of the shank instead of at one side only.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a fork, the combination with the shank thereof, of a plug extending rigidly through the shank and provided at opposite ends with pivot-bearings, a bifurcated guard provided with spring-prongs pivotally connected with said bearings, and a cam at the pivot at one side of the shank operating to expand the prongs in the movement of the guard between its opened and closed positions, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

2. In a fork, the combination with the shank thereof, of arigid piugpassin g through the shank provided at opposite ends with the pointed bearing projection e and knife-blade bearing projection f, a bifurcated guard having springprongs, with a socket g in one prong to engage the bearing e, and crossed sockets h i, in the other prong to engage the bearing f, having the shoulders h i, and intermediate cams 70, all constructed and arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

ISAAC HIRSOH.

In presence of D. W. LEE, A. D. BACCI. 

